In procedures such as endoscopic sphincterotomy, a sphincterotome may be used in conjunction with an endoscope to provide surgical cutting inside of a patient. Exemplary sphincterotomes are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,547,469 and 5,868,698 to Rowland et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The sphincterotome may, for example, be used to partially cut open the sphincter muscle for treatment such as removal of common bile duct stones forming an obstruction. A sphincterotome may include a cutting wire that can be activated by bending the sphincterotome, thereby permitting the cutting wire to extend from the sphincterotome.
However, when activating the cutting wire, it may be difficult to control the exact positioning of the cutting wire. In some instances, it may be desirable to position the activated cutting wire in an angular configuration commonly referred to in the art as the “12 o'clock” position, or in any other desirable angular configuration.
There remains a need, therefore, for an improved sphincterotome that is configured such that, when activated, the cutting wire assumes a desired cutting position at or near the “12 o'clock” position, or any other desired angular configuration. A need remains for an improved sphincterotome with controlled bending characteristics.